Lens driving device, camera module and optical apparatus

ABSTRACT

An exemplary embodiment of the present invention relates to a lens driving device, comprising: a base including a support part upwardly protruded; a movable unit spaced from the base and movably disposed at an upper side of the base; and a damper contacted with the support part and the movable unit.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.15/971,581, filed May 4, 2018; which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 15/075,625, filed Mar. 21, 2016, now U.S. Pat. No.9,989,727, issued Jun. 5, 2018; which claims benefit under 35 U.S.C. §119 of Korean Application Nos. 10-2015-0038295, filed Mar. 19, 2015, and10-2015-0085073, filed Jun. 16, 2015; all of which are herebyincorporated by reference in their entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The teachings in accordance with the exemplary embodiments of thispresent disclosure generally relate to a lens driving device, a cameramodule and an optical apparatus.

BACKGROUND

This section provides background information related to the presentdisclosure which is not necessarily prior art.

Concomitant with popularization of various mobile phones andcommercialization of wireless Internet services, consumer demands inrelation to mobile phones have diversified and various types ofperipheral devices have been mounted on mobile phones. One of therepresentative peripheral devices is a camera module capturing a subjectin a photo or a video.

Recently, a camera module having an AF (Auto Focusing) function or anOIS (Optical Image Stabilization) function is used. Furthermore, thecamera module having the AF function or the OIS function requires anelastic member movably supporting a lens relative to an image sensor.

Meantime, a conventional camera module needs use of feedback control formore accurate control. This case, however, suffers from a disadvantageof a phenomenon where an elastic member oscillates when an externalforce corresponding to resonant frequency of the elastic member isapplied.

BRIEF SUMMARY

The technical subject to be solved by the present disclosure is toprovide a lens driving device improved in gain (value) in resonantfrequency of a support member.

Furthermore, another technical subject to be solved by the presentdisclosure is to provide a lens driving device having a damper forprevention of oscillation phenomenon of an elastic member. Still anothertechnical subject to be solved by the present disclosure is to provide alens driving device having a damper loss prevention structure to inhibitloss of coated damper.

Still furthermore, the technical subject to be solved by the presentdisclosure is to provide a camera module configured to obtainperformances of an AF function and an OIS function through the lensdriving device and an optical apparatus.

In one general aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided alens driving device, comprising: a base including a support partupwardly protruded; a movable unit spaced from the base and movablydisposed at an upper side of the base; and a damper contacted with thesupport part and the movable unit.

In some exemplary embodiments, the movable unit may include a staircasepart disposed at a periphery of the movable unit and having a shapecorresponding to that of the support part, wherein the damper iscontacted with the support part and the staircase part.

In some exemplary embodiments, the staircase part may include aprotruding part outwardly protruded from a periphery of the movableunit, and a recessed part disposed at a lower side of the protrudingpart, wherein a lateral surface of the support part faces the peripheryof the movable unit forming the recessed part, and an upper surface ofthe support part faces a lower side of the protruding part.

In some exemplary embodiments, the movable unit may include a firstmover coupled to the lens unit and including a first movable element,and a second mover including a second movable element facing the firstmovable element and disposed at an outside of the first movable element,wherein the first movable element is movably disposed relative to thesecond mover by electromagnetic interaction between the first movableelement and the second movable element.

In some exemplary embodiments, the movable unit may include a supportmember coupled to the first movable element and to the second movableelement, wherein the damper improves a gain of a resonant frequency ofthe support member.

In some exemplary embodiments, the movable unit may include a secondmovable element disposed at an upper side of the base and including asecond mover, wherein the lens driving device comprises a statorincluding a third movable element facing the second movable element anddisposed between the second mover and the base, and the second mover ismovably disposed relative to the stator by electromagnetic interactionbetween the second mover and the third mover.

In some exemplary embodiments, at least a part of the support part maybe overlapped with the staircase part to an optical axis direction, andwherein a height of the support part may be so formed as to minimize atilt amount when the second mover moves to a direction perpendicular tothe optical axis direction relative to the stator in order to perform anOIS (Optical Image Stabilization) function.

In some exemplary embodiments, the second mover may include a magnet,wherein the second mover may further include a housing fixed in a mannerthe magnet is adhered to an inner upper side of the magnet, and whereinan outside of the housing may be disposed at a position corresponding tothat of the magnet with the staircase part.

In some exemplary embodiments, at least a part of the support part maybe overlapped with the staircase part to an optical axis direction, andwherein an upper end of the support part may be equal in height to orhigher than a centroid of the magnet.

In some exemplary embodiments, at least a part of the support part maybe overlapped with the staircase part to the optical axis direction, andwherein a height of the support part may be so formed as not to allowthe magnet to drop out, even if the support part strikes the staircasepart when the second mover moves or tilts to a direction perpendicularto the optical axis direction.

In some exemplary embodiments, the lens driving device may furthercomprise: a sensor unit sensing the second mover; and a controllerperforming an OIS function feedback of the second mover through asensing value sensed by the sensing unit.

In some exemplary embodiments, the lens driving device may furthercomprise: a lateral support member coupled to the base and the movableunit to elastically support the movable unit relative to the base, andwherein the damper may improve a gain of a resonant frequency of thelateral support member.

In some exemplary embodiments, the staircase part may include a firstsurface opposite to an upper surface of the support part, and a secondsurface opposite to an inner lateral surface of the support part, andmay further include a first groove arranged with the damper.

In some exemplary embodiments, the first groove may be disposed at acorner area joined by the periphery of the housing and the firstsurface, and the damper may be disposed at a lower surface of lossprevention part protruded to outside from the periphery of the housing,a periphery of the housing and an upper surface of the pillar part.

In some exemplary embodiments, the staircase part may further include asecond groove disposed at the upper surface of support part and arrangedwith the damper.

In some exemplary embodiments, the second groove may be formed by theupper surface of the support part being recessed to a lower side, andthe second groove may include a second groove upper surface parallelwith the upper surface of the support part, a second groove lateralsurface perpendicular to the upper surface of the support part, and asecond groove slope slantly connecting the second groove upper surfacewith the second groove lateral surface.

In some exemplary embodiments, the staircase part may further include athird groove formed at a corner area joined by the upper surface of thesupport part and the inner lateral surface.

The lens driving device according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure may further comprise: a base; a movable unitdistanced from the base and movably disposed at an upper side of thebase; a protruder protruded from the periphery of the base to anoutside; and a damper contacting the base and the protruder.

In another general aspect of the present disclosure, there is provided acamera module, comprising: a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) mounted with animage sensor; a base disposed at an upper surface of the PCB andincluding a hollow hole formed at a position corresponding to that ofthe image sensor; a support part formed at the base and protrusivelyformed from an outside of the hollow hole to an upper side; a housingspaced from the base to be movably disposed at an upper side of thebase; a support member coupled to the base and the housing; a staircasepart disposed at a periphery of the housing and having a shapecorresponding to that of the support part; and a damper contacting thesupport part and the staircase part.

In still another general aspect of the present disclosure, there isprovided a camera module, comprising: a body; a display unit arranged atone surface of the body to display information; and a camera modulemounted at the body to photograph an image or a photograph, wherein thecamera module includes: a PCB (Printed Circuit Board) mounted with animage sensor; a base disposed at an upper surface of the PCB andincluding a hollow hole formed at a position corresponding to that ofthe image sensor; a support part formed at the base and protrusivelyformed from an outside of the hollow hole to an upper side; a housingspaced from the base to be movably disposed at an upper side of thebase; a support member coupled to the base and the housing; a staircasepart disposed at a periphery of the housing and having a shapecorresponding to that of the support part; and a damper contacting thesupport part and the staircase part.

In order to solve the abovementioned subject, the lens driving deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure maycomprise: a base; a housing disposed at an upper side of the base andmovably supported by the base; a pillar unit protruded upward from thebase; a pillar accommodation unit formed at the housing and disposedwith the pillar unit; and a damper interposed between the pillar unitand the housing.

The pillar accommodation unit may include a first surface opposite to anupper surface of the pillar unit, and a second surface opposite to aninner lateral surface of the pillar unit, and may further include afirst groove disposed at the first surface and arranged with the damper.

The first groove may be disposed at a corner unit joined by an outerlateral surface of the housing and the first surface, and the damper maybe disposed at a bottom surface of a loss prevention unit protruded fromthe outer lateral surface of the housing to outside, the outer lateralsurface of the housing and an upper surface of the pillar unit.

A second groove disposed at an upper surface of the pillar unit andarranged by the damper may be further included.

The second groove may be configured in a manner such that an uppersurface of the pillar unit is formed concaved at a bottom surface, andthe second groove may include a second groove upper surface formed inparallel with the upper surface of the pillar unit, a second groovelateral surface formed perpendicular to the upper surface of the pillarunit, and a second groove slop slantly connecting the second grooveupper surface and the second groove lateral surface.

A third groove may be further included that is formed at a corner unitjoined by the upper surface of the pillar unit and an inner lateralsurface.

The third groove may include a plurality of recessed parts concaved atan inner lateral surface of the pillar unit, and a protruding partdisposed in the plurality of recessed parts.

The pillar accommodation unit may include a first surface opposite tothe upper surface of the pillar unit, a second surface opposite to aninner lateral surface of the pillar unit, where the second surface mayfurther include a fourth groove so arranged as to have a separationspace from the inner lateral surface of the pillar unit, arranged at thefirst surface and disposed at an upper surface of the separation space.

At least a part of the second surface may slant toward an inner side asit advances downwards.

The pillar unit may be disposed at a corner of the base, and a part ofthe housing may be disposed at an inner side of the pillar unit.

A lateral support member may be further included that movably supportsthe housing to a horizontal direction.

The lateral support member may include leaf springs each arranged ateach external lateral surface of the housing.

Further included may be a bobbin disposed at an upper side of the baseand an inner side of the housing, a first driving unit disposed at thebobbin, a second driving unit disposed at the housing to move the firstdriving unit through electromagnetic interaction, and a third drivingunit disposed at the base to move the second driving unit throughelectromagnetic interaction.

The first driving unit and the third driving unit may include a coil,and the second driving unit may include a magnet.

A sensor unit to detect movement of the second driving unit may befurther included, and a power applied to the third driving unit may befeedback-controlled in response to the movement of the second drivingunit detected by the sensor unit.

The camera module according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure may comprise: a lens module; a bobbin accommodating the lensmodule at an inner side; a housing disposed at an outside of the housingto movably support the bobbin; a base movably supporting the housing; apillar unit protruded upward from the base; a pillar accommodation unitformed at the housing and disposed by the pillar accommodation unit; anda damper interposed between the pillar unit and the pillar accommodationunit.

An optical apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure may comprise: a body; a display unit arranged at one surfaceof the body to display information; and a camera module mounted at thebody to photograph an image or a photograph, wherein the camera moduleincludes: a lens module; a bobbin accommodating the lens module therein;a housing disposed at an outside of the bobbin to movably support thebobbin; a base disposed at a lower side of the housing to movablysupport the housing; a pillar unit protruded upward from the base; apillar accommodation unit formed at the housing and disposed by thepillar unit; and a damper interposed between the pillar unit and thepillar accommodation unit.

Advantageous Effects

The present disclosure has an advantageous effect in that gain at theresonant frequency of a support member can be improved to inhibit anoscillation phenomenon of the support member, through which an OISfunction can be improved. Furthermore, loss of damper inhibitingresonance of elastic member can be inhibited to secure performances ofAF function or OIS function.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a lens drivingdevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view illustrating a lensdriving device according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line X-X′ of FIG.2 illustrating some elements of lens driving device according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating operations ofsome elements of a lens driving device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating some elements ofa lens driving device according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIGS. 6 and 7 are frequency characteristic graphs explaining an effectof lens driving device according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a lens drivingdevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a lens drivingdevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a lens drivingdevice less a cover member according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-B of FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a part of a lensdriving device according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view and a partially enlarged viewillustrating a base and a part of a lens driving device according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

FIG. 14 is a schematic bottom surface perspective view and a partiallyenlarged view illustrating a house of a lens driving device according toan exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Various exemplary embodiments will be described more fully hereinafterwith reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some exemplaryembodiments are shown.

In describing the present disclosure, detailed descriptions ofconstructions or processes known in the art may be omitted to avoidobscuring appreciation of the invention by a person of ordinary skill inthe art with unnecessary detail regarding such known constructions andfunctions. In the drawings, the size and relative sizes of layers,regions and/or other elements may be exaggerated or reduced for clarity.

In describing elements of exemplary embodiments according to the presentdisclosure, although the terms first, second, A, B, (a), (b), etc. maybe used herein to describe various elements, these elements should notbe limited by these terms, and these terms are only used to distinguishone element from another. For example, a first region/layer could betermed a second region/layer, and, similarly, a second region/layercould be termed a first region/layer without departing from theteachings of the disclosure.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being“connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directlyconnected or coupled to the other elements or intervening elements maybe present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being“directly connected” or “directly coupled” to another element, there areno intervening elements present.

The hereinafter used term of PCB is an abbreviation of Printed CircuitBoard, and FPCB is an abbreviation of Flexible PCB. An FP coil standsfor a Fine Pattern(ed) coil. Furthermore, the term of protruding partmay be interchangeably used with lug.

Hereinafter, configuration of optical apparatus according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described indetail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Although the optical apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure may include a mobile phone, a portable phone, asmart phone, a portable smart device, a digital camera, a laptopcomputer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA (Personal DigitalAssistant), a PMP (portable Multimedia Player), a navigational device,etc., the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and any devicescapable of photographing an image or a photograph may be included.

The optical apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure may a body (not shown), a display unit (not shown)arranged at one surface of the body to display information, and a camera(not shown) mounted on the body and having a camera module (not shown)to photograph an image or a photograph.

Hereinafter, configuration of camera module will be described withreference to the accompanying drawings.

The camera module may include a lens driving device (10), a lens module(not shown), an IR (Infra-red) cut-off filter (not shown), a PCB (notshown), an image sensor (not shown) and a controller (not shown).

The lens module may include at least one lens (not shown) and a barrelaccommodating at least one lens. However, one configuration of lensmodule is not limited to a lens barrel, and any holder structure capableof supporting at least one lens will suffice. The lens module may bescrew-connected to the lens driving device (10), for example. The lensmodule may be coupled to an inner side of the lens driving device (10),for example. Meantime, light having passed the lens module may beirradiated on an image sensor.

The IR cut-off filter may inhibit the light from being incident on an IRregion of an image sensor. The IR cut-off filter may be interposedbetween the lens module and the image sensor, for example. The IRcut-off filter may be mounted on a base (500, described later) and maybe coupled to a holder member (not shown). The IR cut-off filter may bemounted on a hollow hole (510) formed at a center of the base (510). TheIR cut-off filter may be formed with a film material or glass material,for example. Meantime, the IR cut-off filter may be formed by coating anIR cut-off coating material on a flat optical filter such as protectivecover glass and cover glass, for example.

The PCB may support the lens driving device (10). The PCB may be mountedwith an image sensor. To be more specific, the PCB may be disposed at anupper external side with the lens driving device (10) and may bedisposed at an upper inner side with the image sensor. Through thisconfiguration, the light having passed the lens module coupled to aninner side of the lens driving device (10) may be irradiated on theimage sensor mounted on the PCB. The PCB can supply an electric power tothe lens driving device (10). Meantime, the PCB may be disposed with acontroller for controlling the lens driving device (10).

The image sensor may be mounted on the PCB. The image sensor may bedisposed on the same optical axis as that of the lens module, throughwhich the image sensor can obtain the light having passed the lensmodule. The image sensor may output the irradiated light in an image.The image sensor may be a CCD (Charge Coupled Device), a MOS (MetalOxide Semi-Conductor), a CPD and a CID, for example. However, the typeof image sensor is not limited thereto.

The controller may be mounted on the PCB. The controller may be disposedat an inner side of the lens driving device (10), and may be alsoarranged at a camera module substrate outside of the lens driving device(10). The controller may control a current direction, current intensityand amplitude supplied to each element forming the lens driving device(10). The controller may perform any one function of auto focusingfunction and handshake correction function by controlling the lensdriving device (10). That is, the controller may control to move thelens module to an optical axis direction or to a direction perpendicularto the optical axis direction or to tilt the lens module. Furthermore,the controller can perform a feedback control of the auto focusingfunction and the handshake correction function.

Hereinafter, the configuration of lens driving device (10) will bedescribed in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a lens drivingdevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure,and FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view illustrating a lensdriving device according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Referring to FIG. 1, the lens driving device (10) according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include a cover(100), a first mover (200), a second mover (300), a stator (400), a base(500), a support member (600), a sensor unit (700) and a damper (800).However, the lens driving device (10) according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure may omit one or more elements fromthe cover (100), the first mover (200), the second mover (300), thestator (400), the base (500), the support member (600), the sensor unit(700) and the damper (800). The first mover (200) and the second mover(300) according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure arecommonly called a movable unit.

The cover (100) may constitute an external look of the lens drivingdevice (10). The cover (100) may take a hexahedron shape opened at thebottom according to an exemplary embodiment. However, the shape is notlimited thereto. Meantime, the cover (100) may be mounted at an uppersurface of the base (500). An inner space formed by the cover (100) andthe base (500) may be disposed with the first mover (200), the secondmover (300), the stator (400) and the support member (600). Furthermore,the cover (100) may be mounted on the base (500) by being adhered to, atan inner lateral surface, to a part of the lateral surface or to thewhole lateral surface of the base (500, described later), through whichconfiguration, the cover can protect an inner elements against theexternal shock and function as an infiltration prevention of externalpollutant materials.

The cover (100) may perform a function of a shield can by being equippedwith a metal material, for example. In this case, the cover (100) canprotect the elements of the lens driving device (10) against an externalelectronic interference generated from a mobile phone and the like.However, the material of cover (100) is not limited thereto.

The cover (100) may include an opening (110) exposing the lens module,one of the camera module by being formed at an upper surface. That is,the light introduced through the opening (110) can be transmitted to animage sensor through the lens module. Furthermore, although the lensdriving device (10) according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure may not include a lens module, the lens driving device (10)according to other exemplary embodiment may include the lens module.

The first mover (200) may be disposed at an outer side of the lensmodule. That is, the lens module may be disposed at an inner side of thefirst mover (200). The peripheral surface of the lens module may becoupled to the inner surface of the first mover (200). Meantime, thefirst mover (200) may integrally move with the lens module throughinteraction with the second mover (300) or the stator (400). That is,the first mover (200) can move the lens module.

The first mover (200) may include a bobbin (210). Furthermore, the firstmover (200) may include a first movable element (220) coupled to thebobbin (210). The bobbin (210) may be coupled at an inner surface to aperipheral surface of the lens module. Meantime, the bobbin (210) may becoupled by the first mover (200). Furthermore, the bobbin (210) may becoupled at an upper surface with an upper support member (610). Thebobbin (210) may move relative to a housing (310). The bobbin (210) mayinclude a first guide unit (211) guiding the first movable element (220)to be wound or mounted. The first guide unit (211) may be integrallyformed with an outer lateral surface of the bobbin (210). Furthermore,the first guide unit (211) may be continuously formed along an outerlateral surface of the bobbin (210), or discretely formed at apredetermined gap.

The bobbin (210) may include a coupling lug (213) coupled to the uppersupport member (610). The coupling lug (213) may be coupled by beinginserted into a first coupling groove (617) of the upper support member(610). Meantime, the upper support member (510) may be formed with a lugand the bobbin (210) may be formed with a groove, where the lug and thegroove may be coupled. The bobbin (210) may be formed with a total ofeight (8) coupling lugs (213) according to an exemplary embodiment asillustrated in FIG. 2, where each of the eight coupling lugs may berespectively coupled to the upper support member (610) where thecoupling lugs (213) are separably mounted.

The first movable element (220) may be disposed opposite to a secondmovable unit (320) of the second mover (300). The first movable element(220) may move the bobbin (210) relative to the housing (310) throughthe electromagnetic interaction with second movable unit (320). Thefirst movable element (220) may include a coil. The coil may be guidedto the first guide unit (211) to be wound on a periphery of the bobbin(210). Furthermore, the coil is configured in a manner such that fourcoils, for example, are independently disposed where adjacent two coilsconstitute a 90° angle therebetween and arranged on the periphery of thebobbin (210).

When first movable element (220) includes a coil, an electric powersupplied to the coil may be supplied through the upper support member(610). Meantime, when the electric power is supplied to the coil, anelectromagnetic field may be formed about the coil. Furthermore, thefirst movable element (220) may include a magnet. Here, the secondmovable element (320) may also include a coil. The second movableelement (320) may be disposed at an outside of the first movable element(220) opposite to the first movable element (220).

The second mover (300) may include the housing (310) disposed at anoutside of the bobbin (210). Furthermore, the second mover (300) may bedisposed opposite to the first mover (200) and include the secondmovable element (320) fixed to the housing (310).

The housing (310) may be formed in a shape corresponding to that of aninner lateral surface of the cover (100) forming an external look of thelens driving device (100). Furthermore, the housing (310) may be formedwith an insulating material, and may be injection molded inconsideration of productivity. The housing (310) is a part moving for anOIS (Optical Image Stabilization) driving, and may be discretelyarranged from the cover (100) at a predetermined distance.

The housing (310) may be opened at an upper side and a bottom side tomovably and vertically accommodate the first mover (200). The housing(310) may include at a lateral surface a movable accommodation unit(311) formed with a shape corresponding to that of the second movableelement (320) to accommodate the second movable element (320). That is,the movable accommodation unit (311) may fix the second movable element(320) by accommodating the second movable element (320). Meantime, themovable accommodation unit (311) may be disposed at an inner surface oran outer surface of the housing (310).

The housing (310) may include a stopper (312) protruded upwards toabsorb an external shock by contacting a bottom side of an upper surfaceof the cover (100) when there is generated the external shock. Thestopper (312) may be formed in plural number. The stopper (312) may besuch that each stopper (312) is formed at each of four corners or fouredges, for example, as illustrated in FIG. 2, but the present disclosureis not limited thereto. Meantime, the stopper (312) may be integrallyformed with the housing (310).

The housing (310) may be coupled at an upper surface by the uppersupport member (610). The housing (310) may include a coupling lug (323)coupled to the upper support member (610). The coupled lug (323) may becoupled by being inserted into a second coupling groove (618) of theupper support member (610). Meantime, the upper support member (610) maybe formed with a lug and the housing (310) may be formed with a groove,where the lug is inserted into the groove for coupling. The housing(310) may be formed with a plurality of coupling lugs (313). The housing(310) may be formed with a total of eight (8) coupling lugs (313) asillustrated in FIG. 2, for example. However, the present disclosure isnot limited thereto.

The housing (310) may include a staircase part (315) formed at acircumferential surface. That is, a total of four (4) staircase parts(315) may be formed at corners joined by each lateral surface adjacentto the housing (310), for example. The staircase part (315) may beexplained with a lower side being concaved compared with an upper side.That is, the staircase part (315) may be formed by a protruded portionand a concave portion being joined to form a staircase. A lower side ofthe staircase part (315) may be disposed with a support part (520) ofthe base (500). A damper (800) may be coated between the staircase part(315) and the support part (520). The damper (800, describe later) mayimprove a resonant frequency gain value of the support member (600).Furthermore, the damper (800) may minimize a phenomenon where thesupport member (600) oscillates at a resonant frequency, and minimize aphenomenon where the housing (310) oscillates at a resonant frequency.

The second movable element (320) may be disposed opposite to the firstmovable element (220) of the first mover (200). The second movableelement (320), like the first movable element (220), can move the firstmovable element (220) through electromagnetic interaction with the firstmovable element (220). The second movable element (320) may include amagnet. The magnet may be fixed to the movable accommodation unit (311)of the housing (310). Four (4) magnets, for example, may be disposed asillustrated in FIG. 2. The four magnets are independently disposed, andtwo adjacent magnets may form a 90° therebetween and be arranged at thehousing (310). That is, the second movable element (320) may be mountedat an equidistant gap on a corner joined by adjacent lateral surfaces ofthe housing (310). That is, an inner side of the corner mutually joinedby adjacent lateral surfaces of the housing (310) may be mounted withthe second movable element (320), and an outer side may be disposed withthe staircase part (315). Furthermore, the second movable element (320)may be adhered to the housing (310) using an adhesive, but the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto. Meantime, the first movable element(220) may include a magnet, and the second movable element (320) mayinclude a coil.

The stator (400) may be disposed opposite to a lower side of the secondmover (300). Meantime, the stator (400) may move the second mover (300)in a fixed state. Furthermore, the stator (400) may be centrallydisposed with through holes (411, 421) corresponding to the lens module.The stator (400) may include a third movable element (410) disposedopposite to the lower side of the second movable element (320). Thestator (400) may include an FPCB (Flexible PCB, 420) interposed betweenthe third movable element (410) and the base (500).

The third movable element (410) may include a coil. In this case, whenthe coil of the third movable element (410) is applied with a power, thehousing (310) fixed with the second movable element (320) may be movedby interaction with the second movable element (320). The third movableelement (410) may be mounted on the FPCB or may be electricallyconnected. Meantime, the third movable element (410) may be centrallydisposed with a through hole (411) to allow a light signal of the lensmodule to pass through. Furthermore, in consideration of miniaturizationof the lens driving device (reduction of height to z axis directionwhich is an optical axis direction), the third movable element (410) maybe formed with an FP coil, which is a patterned coil and may be arrangedon the FPCB (420).

Furthermore, the third movable element (410) may include a coil arrangedat a lower surface of the second movable element (320) spaced apart at apredetermined distance, and the coil may be arranged in correspondenceto the number of the second movable element (320). That is, when thenumber of the second movable element (320) is four (4), as in theexemplary embodiment, and four (4) coils may be arranged, where the coilmay be mounted on the FPCB (420), or formed in an FP coil to be arrangedon the FPCB (420).

The FPCB (420) may be disposed between the third movable element (410)and the base (500). Meantime, the FPCB (420) may supply a power to thethird movable element (410). Furthermore, the FPCB (420) may supply apower to the first movable element (210) through the lateral supportmember (630) and the upper support member (610). The FPCB (420) mayinclude a through hole (421) at a position corresponding to that of thethrough hole (411). Furthermore, the FPCB (420) may include a terminalunit (422) bent to be exposed to outside. The terminal unit (422) may beconnected to an outside power through which the power may be supplied tothe FPCB (420).

The base (500) may support the stator (400). The base (500) may supportthe second mover (300). The base (500) may be disposed at a lowersurface with a PCB (not shown). The base (500) may include a hollow hole(510) formed at a position corresponding to that of the through holes(411, 421) of the stator (400). In this case, the base may function as asensor holder protecting an image sensor (not shown). The base (500) maybe formed with a lug to a lower side direction along a lateral surface.Furthermore, the base (500) may be arranged at a lower surface with aseparate sensor holder (not shown). In this case, the sensor holder maybe arranged at a lower surface of the base (500) and coupled to the PCB.Meantime, the base (500) may be disposed for positioning an IR (InfraredRay) filter (not shown) as mentioned above. That is, the hollow hole(510) of the base (500) may be coupled by the IR filter.

The base (500) may further include a foreign object collecting unit (notshown) to collect foreign objects introduced into the cover (100), forexample. Meantime, the base (500) may further include a sensoraccommodation groove (530) to accommodate the sensor unit (700). Thebase (500) may include two independent sensor accommodation grooves(530) to independently accommodate a first sensor (710) and a secondsensor (720), for example. The sensor accommodation groove (530) may bedisposed in a shape corresponding to that of the first sensor (710), orthe second sensor (720). The sensor accommodation groove is formed inplural number to respectively accommodate a plurality of sensors. Thesensor accommodation groove (530) may be so disposed as to sense allmovements of x axis direction and y axis direction of the second mover(300) through the first sensor (710) and the second sensor (720). Forexample, the sensor accommodation groove (530) may be formed at a cornerof the base (500). Furthermore, two sensor accommodation grooves (530)may form a 90° angle therebetween about an optical axis.

The base (500) may be mounted with a terminal member, and the base (500)may be integrally formed with a terminal using a surface electrode, forexample. The support member (600) may connect the first mover (200) andthe second mover (300). The support member (600) may elastically connectthe first mover (200) and the second mover (300) to allow the firstmover (200) to enable a relative movement relative to the second mover(300). That is, the support member (600) may be formed with an elasticmember. The support member (600) may include an upper support member(610) and a lateral support member (630) as an exemplary embodimentillustrated in FIG. 2. Furthermore, the support member (600) may furtherinclude a lower support member (not shown). The lower support member maybe coupled to a lower surface of the bobbin (210) and to a lower surfaceof the housing (310). The lower support member may be a leaf spring.

The upper support member (610) may be connected to an upper surface ofthe first mover (200) and an upper surface of the second mover (300). Tobe more specific, the upper support member (610) may be coupled to anupper surface of bobbin (210) and to an upper surface of housing (310).A first coupling groove (617) of the upper support member (610) may becoupled to a coupling lug (213) of the bobbin (210), and a secondcoupling groove (618) of the upper support member (610) may be coupledto a coupling lug (313) of the housing (310). The upper support member(610) may be a leaf spring, for example. Meantime, the first couplinggroove (617) and the second coupling groove (618) may be respectivelyformed with a hole. In this case, the hole may be coupled by thecoupling lug (213) of the bobbin (210) and by the coupling lug (313) ofthe housing (310).

The upper support member (610) may include an inner unit (611) connectedto the bobbin (210), an outer unit (612) connected to the housing (310)and a connector (613) connecting the inner unit (611) and the outer unit(612), for example. That is, the inner unit (611) may be coupled to thebobbin (210). The inner unit (611) may be provided with a first couplinggroove (617) and the bobbin (210) may be provided with a coupling lug(213) to allow the coupling lug (213) to be inserted into the firstcoupling groove (617) for mutual coupling therebetween. The outer unit(612) may be coupled to the housing (310). The outer unit (612) may beprovided with a second coupling groove (618) and the housing (310) maybe provided with a coupling lug (313) to allow the coupling lug (313) tobe inserted into the second coupling groove (618) for mutual couplingtherebetween. The connector (613) may elastically connect the inner unit(611) and the outer unit (612). Meantime, the inner unit (611), theouter unit (612) and the connector (613) may be integrally formed, andmay be formed by being bent more than twice. However, the presentdisclosure is not limited thereto.

The upper support member (610) may be separated to two pieces, forexample. Each of the separated upper support members (610) may beconnected to the first movable element (220) to supply a power to thefirst movable element (220). The upper support member (610) may beconnected to the lateral support member (630) and receive a power fromthe lateral support member (630) and supply the power to the firstmovable element (220).

The bobbin (210) can vertically mover relative to the housing (310),because the upper support member (610) elastically supports the bobbin(210) and the housing (310). That is, the auto focusing function may berealized by elastic support of the upper support member (610) andelectromagnetic interaction between the first movable element (220) andthe second movable element (320).

The lateral support member (630) may be fixed at one end to the stator(400) or to the base (500) and may be fixed at the other end to thesecond mover (300). Furthermore, the lateral support member (630) may befixed at one end to the stator (400) or to the base (500) and may befixed at the other end to the upper support member (610). The lateralsupport member (630) may elastically support the second mover (300) toallow the second mover (300) to horizontally move or to tilt.Furthermore, the lateral support member (630) may be coupled to theupper support member (610) and may further include a configuration forshock absorption.

The configuration for shock absorption may be formed at more than one ofthe lateral support member (630) and the upper support member (610). Theconfiguration for shock absorption may include an elastic transformationunit (not shown). Furthermore, the configuration for shock absorptionmay be realized through shape change on a part of any one of the lateralsupport member (630) and the upper support member (610). As an exemplaryembodiment, four (4) lateral support members (630) may be formed.However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

The lateral support member (630) may be electrically conductive with theupper support member (610) to receive a power from the FPCB (420) andtransmit the power to the upper support member (610). In other words,the lateral support member (630) may receive a power supplied from thestator (400) and supply the power to each of the upper support members(610). The lateral support member (630) may be determined in the numberthereof in consideration of symmetry, for example. A total of four (4)lateral support members (630) may be formed each on the lateral surfaceof the housing (310), for example.

The lateral support member (630) may include a lower unit (631), anupper unit (632) and a connector (633). To be more specific, the lateralsupport member (630) may include a lower unit (631) coupled to thestator (400) or to the base (500). The lateral support member (630) mayinclude the upper unit (632) coupled to the second mover (300) or to theupper support member (610). The lateral support member (630) may includethe connector (633) elastically connecting the lower unit (631) and theupper unit (632). The lateral support member (630) may be a leaf spring,for example. Furthermore, the lateral support member (630) may be awire, for example. However, the present disclosure is not limitedthereto.

The sensor unit (700) may be used for AF (Auto Focus) feedback and/orOIS (Optical Image Stabilization) feedback. That is, the sensor unit(700) may detect the position and/or movement of the first mover (200)and/or second mover (300). The sensor unit (700) may be disposed at thestator (400). The sensor unit (700) may receive a power from the FPCB(420) and transmit a sensing value by being disposed at an upper surfaceor a bottom surface of the FPCB (420) of the stator (400). The sensorunit (700) may be disposed at the sensor accommodation groove (530)formed at the base (500), for example. The sensor unit (700) may includea Hall sensor according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure. In this case, the sensor unit (700) may sense the magneticfield of the second movable element (320) at the second mover (300) tosense a relative movement of the second mover (300) relative to thestator (400). That is, the sensor unit (700) may provide information forOIS feedback by detecting a horizontal movement or tilt of the secondmover (300).

The sensor unit (700) may include a first sensor unit (710) and a secondsensor unit (720), for example. The first sensor unit (710) may sensemovement of x axis direction of the second mover (300). Meantime, thesecond sensor unit (720) may sense movement of y axis direction of thesecond mover (300). Furthermore, the first sensor unit (710) may sensemovement of y axis direction of the second mover (300), and the secondsensor unit (720) may sense movement of x axis direction of the secondmover (300). That is, movement of x axis and y axis directions of secondmover (300) and/or tilt amount can be all sensed by the first sensorunit (710) and the second sensor unit (720). Furthermore, the sensorunit (700) may further include a third sensor unit (not shown) in orderto sense the movement of z axis direction through the first sensor unit(710) and the second sensor unit (720). The third sensor unit may bearranged at any one of the second mover (300) or the first mover (200)to sense the movement of z axis direction of the first mover (200).

Hereinafter, some of the configurations of the lens driving device (10)will be described with reference to the drawing.

FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line X-X′ of FIG.2 illustrating some elements of lens driving device according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 3, the lens driving device (10) according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include a movableunit (20), a base (500) and a damper (800), where the movable unit (20)may include a first mover (200), a second mover (300) and an uppersupport member (610), for example.

The movable unit (20) may be movably disposed at an upper surface of thebase (500). To be more specific, the movable unit (20) may be supportedby being spaced from the base (500) through the lateral support member(630). The OIS function may be implemented relative to an image sensordisposed at a bottom surface of the base (500) in response to themovable unit (20) being moved or tilted to a lateral side relative tothe base (500).

The movable unit (20) may be disposed by being spaced from a supportpart (520). The movable unit (20) may be disposed at an inner side ofthe support part (520) disposed at four corners, or edges of the base(500) having a square cross-sectional shape, for example. That is, themovable unit (20) may be restricted in movement to a lateral side by thesupport part (520). Furthermore, the movable unit (20) may be at leastpartially overlapped to a horizontal direction with the support part(520).

Explanation to the first mover (200) and second mover (300) of themovable unit (20) may be inferred from the foregoing explanation. Thatis, the movable unit (20) may perform the auto focusing function and/orOIS function as a power is applied. The movable unit (20) may include ata periphery thereof a staircase part (315) having a shape correspondingto that of the support part (520).

The staircase part (315) may include a recessed part (315 a) moreconcaved than a surrounding area, and a protruding part (315 b) moreprotruded than a surrounding area, for example. That is, the staircasepart (315) may be formed by the recessed part (315 a) disposed at alower side and the protruding part (315 b) disposed at an upper side.Meantime, the support part (520) may be disposed by being spaced fromboth the recessed part (315 a) and the protruding part (315 b). A damper(800) may be coated on a discrete space between the recessed part (315a) and the protruding part (315 b). That is, the damper (800) may bedisposed between an upper surface of the support part (520) and a lowersurface of the protrude (315 b). Furthermore, the discrete space betweenthe support part (520) and the recessed part (315 a) may form ahorizontal discrete space of the movable unit (20). That is, thehorizontal moving space of the movable unit (20) may be restricted bythe discrete space between the support part (520) and the recessed part(315 a).

The support part (520) may be formed by being protruded upwards of thebase (500). A total of four (4) support parts 52) may be formed at edgesor corners. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Thesupport part (520) may be formed in a shape corresponding to that of thestaircase part (315). Between the support part (520) and the staircasepart (315) is there disposed the damper (800). The damper (800) may beinterposed between the support part (520) and the staircase part (315).The damper (315) may include a cushioning material to absorb a vibratingenergy, for example. The damper (800) may be coated on the support part(520) and the staircase part (315) to change the frequencycharacteristics of the support member (600). The damper (800) mayimprove a gain of secondary resonant frequency of the support member(600), the detailed description of which will be provided hereinunder.

Hereinafter, operation of some elements of the lens driving device (10)will be described in detail with reference to the drawing.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating operations ofsome elements of a lens driving device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. To be more specific, FIG. 4(a)illustrates a case where the movable unit (20) is moved to the rightside (A), and FIG. 4(b) illustrates a case where the movable unit (20)is moved to the left side (C).

Referring to FIG. 4(a), when the movable unit (20) is moved to ahorizontal right direction (A) for OIS control, it can be ascertainedthat a tilt (B) to a right direction (a direction where left side isbeing upwardly lifted) is generated by the damper (800) coated betweenthe support part (520) of the base (500) and the staircase part (315) ofthe movable unit (20). Meantime, with reference to FIG. 4(b), when themovable unit (20) is moved to a horizontal left direction (C) for OIScontrol, it can be ascertained that a tilt (D) to a left direction (adirection where right side is being upwardly lifted) is generated by thedamper (800) coated between the support part (520) of the base (500) andthe staircase part (315) of the movable unit (20). Meantime, there is aneed to minimize an amount of tilts because the tilts (B, D) of FIG.4(a, b) may be factors to decrease the OIS functions.

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view illustrating some elements ofa lens driving device according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure.

Referring to FIG. 5, the lens driving device (10) according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include a movableunit (20), a base (500) and a damper coated between the movable unit(20) and the base (500), where the movable unit (20) may include abobbin (210) disposed at an inside and a housing (310) disposed at anoutside. That is, the damper (800) may be disposed between the housing(310) and the base (500). Meantime, as discussed through FIG. 4, theunexpected tilts generated during OIS control (movements or tilts tohorizontal direction) of the movable unit (20) require to be minimizedin their amount. Thus, the lens driving device (10) according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure minimizes the amounts ofunexpected tilts by adjusting a height of the support part (520) of thebase (500). Meantime, the lens driving device (10) according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may be explained asminimizing the amounts of unexpected tilts by adjusting a distancebetween an upper surface of the base (500) and the housing (310).

The height of the support part (520) (see H1 of FIG. 5) may be so formedas to allow the amounts of tilts to be minimized when the second mover(300) is moved to a horizontal direction relative to the stator (400).That is, the height (H1) of the support part (520) may be lower than aheight of the support part (520) of FIG. 3 (see A of FIG. 5). In thiscase, as the height of the support part (520) decreases, a tilt center(rotational center) of the movable unit (20) also decreases to reducethe amount of tilt. That is, the consideration of improvement in OISfunction may determine an upper limit of the height of the support part(520).

Meanwhile, the height (H1) of the support part (520) may be so formed asnot to allow the second movable element (320) formed by a magnet to bedetached even when the support part (520) strikes the staircase part(315) and when the second mover (300) is moved or tilted to a horizontaldirection. That is, at least a part of the support part (520) isoverlapped with the staircase part (315) to a vertical direction, adistal end of the support part (520) may be disposed at a height equalto or higher than a weight center of the second movable element (320)formed by a magnet. If the height of the support part (520) is low,there is a fear that the support part (520) may strike a lower end ofthe housing (310) to detach the magnet adhered by an adhesive to aninner upper surface of the housing (310). That is, the consideration ofprevention of magnet detachment may determine a lower limit of height ofsupport part (520).

That is, the height (H1) of support part (520) may be so formed as notto detach the magnet adhered to an inner upper surface of the housing(310) even if the housing (310) is stricken while minimizing the amountof unexpected tilt during OIS control of the movable unit (20).Furthermore, a distance (H2) between an upper surface of the base (500)and the housing (310) may be so formed as not to detach the magnetadhered to an inner upper surface of the housing (310) even when thesupport part (520) strikes the housing (520) while minimizing the amountof unexpected tilt during OIS control of the movable unit (20). Here,the distance (H2) between the upper surface of the base (500) and thehousing (310) may be limited by a distance between the upper surface ofthe base (500) and the staircase part (315) of the housing (310).

That is, the lens driving device (10) according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure may minimize the generation ofunexpected tilt during OIS control by adjusting the height (H1) of thesupport part (520) and/or the height (H2) between the upper surface ofthe base (500) and the housing (310). Meantime, as illustrated in FIG.5, inasmuch as addition of height of damper (800) to the height (H1) ofthe support part (520) becomes the distance (H2) between the uppersurface of the base (500) and the housing (310) according to theexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure, when one of the height(H1) of the support part (520) and the distance (H2) between the uppersurface of the base (500) and the housing (310) is determined, the otherone can be also determined.

Meanwhile, as illustrated as B in FIG. 5, a tiltable space of themovable unit (20) can be also reduced by reduction of the discrete spacebetween the bobbin (210) and the support part (520) of the base (500).Hereinafter, operation of the lens driving device according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described indetail with reference to the drawing.

FIG. 2 is a schematic exploded perspective view illustrating a lensdriving device according to an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure, and FIGS. 6 and 7 are frequency characteristic graphsexplaining an effect of lens driving device according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. To be more specific, both FIGS. 6and 7 illustrate the frequency characteristics of support member (600)in response to inputted frequency as gain (G) and phase (P), where FIG.6 illustrates a frequency characteristic of support member (600) whenthe damper (800) is not coated, while FIG. 7 illustrates a frequencycharacteristic of support member (600) when the damper (800) is coated.

The lens driving device (10) according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure may receive a power from outside through a terminal(422) of the FPCB (420) of the stator (400). Meantime, the FPCB (420)may supply the received power to the third movable element (410) formedwith an FP (Fine Pattern) coil. Furthermore, the FPCB (420) may supplythe power to the first movable element (220) formed with a coil throughthe lateral support member (630) and the upper support member (610).

When a power is supplied to the first movable element (220), the firstmover (200) is vertically moved based on the second mover (300) by theelectromagnetic interaction with the second movable element (320) formedwith a magnet. That is, as the power is supplied to the first movableelement (220), the bobbin (210) is moved to an optical axis directionrelative to the housing (320) to perform the auto focusing function.

Meantime, the first mover (200) or the second mover (300) may be formedwith a sensor unit (not shown) sensing the movement of the first mover(200). The sensor unit may provide a sensing value to a controller (notshown) by sensing the movement of the first mover (200) in order toperform the auto focusing feedback.

When a power is supplied to the third movable element (410), the secondmover (300) is horizontally moved based on the stator (400) by theelectromagnetic interaction with the second movable element (320) formedwith a magnet. That is, as the power is supplied to the second movableelement (320), the movable unit (20) is moved to a horizontal directionrelative to the base (500) to perform the OIS function. However, thepresent disclosure is not limited thereto, and the second mover (300)may be tilted relative to the stator (400) in order to perform the OISfunction.

Meantime, the movement of second mover (300) may be sensed by thepower-receiving sensor unit (700) through the FPCB (420). For example,the first sensor (710) may sense the movement of second mover (300) to xaxis direction, and the second sensor (720) may sense the movement ofsecond mover (300) to y axis direction. That is, the sensor unit (700)can sense the horizontal movement of the second mover (300), andfurthermore, the sensor unit (700) may be also so formed as to sense theamount of tilt of the second mover (300).

The movement amount (displacement) or position of the second mover (300)sensed by the sensor unit (700) may be provided to a controller. Theposition information of the second mover (300) provided to thecontroller may be used for OIS function feedback. That is, thecontroller performs the OIS function feedback using the positioninformation of the second mover (300) transmitted by the sensor unit(700).

Meantime, referring to FIG. 6, when the OIS function feedback isperformed, and when the damper (800) is not coated between the movableunit (20) and the support part (520) of the base (500), it can beascertained that oscillation may be generated from the first resonantfrequency (see E of FIG. 6) of the support member (600) and from thesecond resonant frequency (see F of FIG. 6) of the support member (600).

Thus, the lens driving device (10) according to an exemplary embodimentof the present disclosure minimizes the oscillation phenomenon of thesupport member (600) by coating the damper (800) between the base (500)and the support part (520) as illustrated in FIG. 7. When FIG. 6 andFIG. 7 are compared, it can be ascertained that rate of change in thesecond resonant frequency of support member (600) illustrated as F inFIG. 7 grows lower than that of the resonant frequency of support member(600) illustrated as E in FIG. 6.

Furthermore, decrease in OIS function may be resulted from the damper(800) between the movable unit (20) and the base (500), which is due togeneration of unexpected tilt of movable unit (20) by the damper (800)during horizontal direction control of the movable unit (20). Thus, thelens driving device (10) according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure minimizes the decrease in OIS function by limitingthe height of the support part (520) of the base (500). Here, the height(see H of FIG. 5) of the support part (520) may be so formed as toinhibit the magnet adhered to an inner upper surface from being detachedeven if the housing (310) is stricken while minimizing the amount ofunexpected tilt during OIS control of the movable unit (20) as discussedin the foregoing, whereby, the lens driving device (10) according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure can inhibit the decreasein OIS function while minimizing the oscillation phenomenon of thesupport member that may be generated from the resonant frequency.

Hereinafter, configuration of a lens driving device (1010) according toan exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described indetail with reference to the drawing.

FIG. 8 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a lens drivingdevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure,FIG. 9 is an exploded perspective view illustrating a lens drivingdevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure,FIG. 10 is a schematic perspective view illustrating a lens drivingdevice less a cover member according to an exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure, FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view taken along lineA-B of FIG. 10, FIG. 12 is a schematic perspective view illustrating apart of a lens driving device according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure, FIG. 13 is a schematic perspective view and apartially enlarged view illustrating a base and a part of a lens drivingdevice according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure,and FIG. 14 is a schematic bottom surface perspective view and apartially enlarged view illustrating a house of a lens driving deviceaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.

Referring to FIGS. 8 to 14, the driving device (1010) according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include a covermember (1100), a first mover (1200), a second mover (1300), a stator(1400), a base (1500), a support member (1600), and a sensor unit(1700). However, the lens driving device (1010) according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may omit one or moreelements from the cover member (1100), the first mover (1200), thesecond mover (1300), the stator (1400), the base (1500), the supportmember (1600), and the sensor unit (1700).

The cover member (1100) may constitute an external look of the lensdriving device (1010). The cover member (1100) may take a hexahedronshape opened at the bottom. However, the shape is not limited thereto.The cover member (1100) may include an upper surface (1101), and alateral surface (1102) extended from an outside of the upper surface(1101) to a lower side. Meantime, the cover member (1100) may be mountedat an upper surface of the base (1500). An inner space formed by thecover member (1100) and the base (1500) may be disposed with the firstmover (1200), the second mover (1300), the stator (1400) and the supportmember (1600). Furthermore, the cover member (1100) may be mounted onthe base (1500) by being adhered to, at an inner lateral surface, to apart of the lateral surface or to the whole lateral surface of the base(1500), through which configuration, the cover member (1100) can protectan inner elements against the external shock and function as aninfiltration prevention of external pollutant materials.

The cover member (1100) may perform a function of a shield can by beingequipped with a metal material, for example. To be more specific, thecover member (1100) may be formed with a metal plate material. In thiscase, the cover member (1100) can be protected from an electronicinterference. That is, the cover member (1100) can protect the elementsof the lens driving device (1010) against an external electronicinterference generated from a mobile phone and the like. However, thematerial of cover member (1100) is not limited thereto.

The cover member (1100) may include an opening (1100) exposing a lensmodule by being formed at an upper surface. The opening (1110) may takea shape corresponding to that of the lens module. That is, the lightintroduced through the opening (1100) can pass through the lens module.Meantime, the light having passed through the lens module may betransmitted to an image sensor.

The first mover (1200) may include a bobbin (1210) and a first drivingunit (1220). The first mover (1200) may be coupled to a lens module{note that the lens module may be explained as an element of the lensdriving device (1010), one of the elements of camera module. That is,the lens module may be disposed at an inner side of the first mover(1200). In other words, an inner surface of the first mover (1200) maybe coupled by an outside of the lens module. Meantime, the first mover(1200) may integrally move with the lens module through interaction withthe second mover (1300). That is, the first mover (1200) can move thelens module.

The first mover (1200) may include the bobbin (1210). Furthermore, thefirst mover (1200) may include a first driving unit (1220) coupled tothe bobbin (1210). The bobbin (1210) may be coupled to the lens module.To be more specific, an inner side of the bobbin (1210) may be coupledto an outside of the lens module. Meantime, the bobbin (1210) may becoupled by the first driving unit (1220). Furthermore, the bobbin (1210)may be coupled at a lower side with a lower support member (1620), andthe bobbin (1210) may be coupled at an upper surface with an uppersupport member (1610). The bobbin (1210) may be disposed at an innerside of a housing (1310). The bobbin (1210) may move relative to thehousing (1310).

The bobbin (1210) may include a lens coupling unit (1211) formed at aninside. The lens coupling unit (1211) may be coupled by the lens module.The lens coupling unit (1211) may be formed at an inner circumferentialsurface with a screw thread having a shape corresponding to that formedat an outer circumferential surface of the lens module. That is, theinner circumferential surface of the lens coupling unit (1211) may bescrew-connected by the outer circumferential surface of the lens module.

The bobbin (1210) may include a sensor guide unit (not shown) coupled byan auto focus feedback sensor (not shown). The auto focus feedbacksensor may integrally move with the bobbin (1210) and sense the movementof bobbin (1210) by sensing the second driving element (1320) mounted onthe housing (1310). For example, the auto focus feedback sensor may be aHall sensor and the second driving element (1320) may be a magnet.

The bobbin (1210) may include a first driving element coupling unit(1212) wound by or mounted with the first driving element (1220). Thefirst driving element coupling unit (1212) may be formed in an integralshape with an external lateral surface of the bobbin (1210).Furthermore, the first driving element coupling unit (1212) may becontinuously formed along the external lateral surface of the bobbin(1210) or formed spaced apart from the external lateral surface ofbobbin (1210) at a predetermined distance. The first driving elementcoupling unit (1212) may include a recessed part formed by a part of theexternal lateral surface of bobbin (1210) being concaved. The firstdriving element (1220) disposed at the first driving element couplingunit (1212) may be supported by a support part protruded from a bottomsurface of the recessed part to outside.

The bobbin (1210 may include an upper coupling unit (1213) coupled withan upper support member (1610). The upper coupling unit (1213) may becoupled to an inner lateral unit (1612) of the upper support member(1610). For example, the upper coupling unit (1213) formed by a lug maybe inserted and coupled to a groove or a hole of the inner lateral unit(1612). Meantime, the upper support member (1610) may be formed with alug and the bobbin (1210) may be formed with a groove, where the lug andthe groove may be coupled. Meantime, the bobbin (1210) may include alower coupling unit (not shown) coupled with a lower support member(1620). The lower coupling unit formed at a lower surface of the bobbin(1210) may be coupled to an inner lateral unit (1622) of the lowersupport member (1620). For example, the lower coupling unit formed by alug may be inserted and coupled to a groove or a hole of the innerlateral unit (1622).

The first driving element (1220) may be disposed at a position oppositeto the second driving element (1320) of the second mover (1300). Thefirst driving element (1220) may move the bobbin (1210) relative to thehousing (1310) through electromagnetic interaction with the seconddriving element (1320). The first driving element (1220) may include acoil. The coil may be guided to the first driving element coupling unit(1212) to be wound on a periphery of the bobbin (1210). Furthermore, inanother exemplary embodiment, the coil may be configured in a mannersuch that four coils are independently disposed where adjacent two coilsconstitute a 90° angle therebetween and arranged on the periphery of thebobbin (1210). When the first driving element (1220) includes a coil, anelectric power supplied to the coil may be supplied through the uppersupport member (1610).

At this time, the upper support member (1610) may be divided to a pairin order to supply an electric power to the coil. Meantime, the firstdriving element (1220) may include a pair of lead cables (not shown) inorder to supply an electric power. In this case, each of the pair oflead cables in the first driving element may be electrically coupled toa pair of upper support members (1610 a, 1610 b). Meantime, in anotherexemplary embodiment, the first driving element (1220) may include amagnet. In this case, the second driving element (1320) may be formedwith a coil.

The second mover (1300) may be disposed at an outside of the first mover(1200) opposite to the first mover (1200). The second mover (1300) maybe supported by the base (1500) disposed at a lower side thereof. Thesecond mover (1300) may be disposed at an inner space of the covermember (1100).

The second mover (1300) may include a housing (1310) disposed at aperiphery of the bobbin (1210). Furthermore, the housing (1310) may beformed with an insulating material, and may be injection molded inconsideration of productivity. The housing (1310) is a part moving foran OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) driving, and may be discretelyarranged from the cover (100) at a predetermined distance. However, inan AF model, the housing (1310) may be fixed on the base (1500).Furthermore, in the AF model, the housing (1310) may be omitted andmagnet disposed as the second driving element (1320) may be fixed on thecover member (1100).

The housing (1310) may be opened at an upper side and a bottom side tomovably and vertically accommodate the first mover (1200). The housing(1310) may include at an inner side an upper/bottom opened inner lateralspace (1311). The inner lateral space may be movably disposed with thefirst mover (1200). That is, the inner lateral space may be formed witha shape corresponding to that of the first mover (1200). Furthermore,the inner lateral space (1311) may be disposed at a periphery thereofspaced apart from the periphery of the first mover (1200).

The housing (1310) may include a second driving unit coupling unit(1312) formed in a shape corresponding to that of the second drivingelement (1320) to accommodate the second driving element (1320). Thatis, the second driving unit coupling unit (1312) may fix the seconddriving element (1320) by accommodating the second driving element(1320). The second driving element (1320) may be fixed to the seconddriving unit coupling unit (1312) by adhesive (not shown). Meantime, thesecond driving unit coupling unit (1312) may be disposed at an innercircumferential surface of the housing (1310). In this case, there is anadvantage of electromagnetic interaction with the first driving element(1220) disposed at an inner lateral side of the second driving element(1320).

Furthermore, the second driving unit coupling unit (1312) may be openedat a bottom surface, for example. In this case, there is an advantage ofelectromagnetic interaction with the second driving element (1320)disposed at a lower side of the second driving element (1320) and afourth driving element (1420). The second driving unit coupling unit(1312) may be formed in four (4) pieces. Each of the four second drivingunit coupling units (1312) may be coupled by the second driving element(1320). Meantime, each of the four second driving unit coupling units(1312) may be arranged at a corner area of the housing (1310).

The housing (1310) may be coupled at an upper surface thereof with theupper support member (1610), and may be coupled at a lower surfacethereof with the lower support member (1620). The housing (1310) mayinclude an upper coupling unit (1313) coupled to the upper supportmember (1610). The upper coupling unit (1313) may be coupled to anexternal lateral unit (1611) of the upper support member (1610). Forexample, the upper coupling unit (1313) formed by a lug may be coupledby being inserted into a hole or a groove of the external lateral unit(1611). Meantime, in another exemplary embodiment, the upper supportmember (1610) may be formed with a lug and the housing (1310) may beformed with a groove, whereby the lug and groove may be coupledtogether. Meantime, the housing (1310) may include a lower coupling unit(not shown) coupled to the lower support member (1620). The lowercoupling unit formed at a lower side of the housing (1310) may becoupled to an external lateral unit (1621) of the lower support member(1620). For example, the lower coupling unit formed with a lug may becoupled by being inserted into a hole or a groove of the externallateral unit (1621).

The second driving unit (1320) may be formed opposite to the firstdriving element (1220) of the first mover (1200). The second drivingunit (1320) may move the first driving unit (1220) through theelectromagnetic interaction with the first driving unit (1220). Thesecond driving unit (1320) may include a magnet. The magnet may be fixedto the second driving unit coupling units (1312) of the housing (1310).The second driving unit (1320) may, as illustrated in FIG. 9, beconfigured in a manner such that four magnets are independentlydisposed, and two adjacent magnets may form a 90° therebetween and bearranged at the housing (1310). That is, the second driving unit (1320)may promote an effective use of inner volume by being mounted four (4)lateral surfaces of housing (1310) each at an equidistant gap.Furthermore, the second driving unit (1320) may be arranged at fourcorner areas of the housing (1310). Meantime, the second driving unit(1320) may be adhered to the housing (1310) using an adhesive, but thepresent disclosure is not limited thereto. Meantime, in anotherexemplary embodiment, the first driving unit (1220) may include amagnet, and the second driving unit (1320) may include a coil.

The stator (1400) may be disposed opposite to a lower side of the secondmover (1300). Meantime, the stator (1400) may move the second mover(1300). Furthermore, the stator (1400) may be centrally disposed withthrough holes (1411, 1421) corresponding to the lens module. The stator(1400) may include a circuit board (1410) disposed between the thirddriving unit (1420) and the base (1500). Furthermore, the stator (1400)may include a third driving unit (1420) disposed opposite to the lowerside of the second driving unit (1320). The circuit board (1410) mayinclude an FPCB (Flexible PCB, 420) which is a flexible board.

The circuit board (1410) may be interposed between the third drivingunit (1420) and the base (1500). Meantime, the circuit board (1410) maysupply an electric power to the third driving unit (1420). Furthermore,the circuit board (1410) may supply an electric power to the firstdriving unit (1220) through the lateral support member (1630) and theupper support member (1610). The circuit board (1410) may include athrough hole (1411) to pass a light having passed the lens module.Furthermore, the circuit board (1410) may include a terminal unit (1412)that is exposed to the outside by being bent. The terminal unit (1412)may be connected to an outside power, through which an electric powercan be supplied to the circuit board (1412).

The third driving unit (1420) may include a coil. When a power isapplied to the coil of the third driving unit (1420), the second drivingunit (1320) and housing (1310) fixed by the second driving unit (1320)may be integrally moved by the interaction with the second driving unit(1320). The third driving unit (1420) may be mounted on the circuitboard (1410) or may be electrically connected to the circuit board(1410). Meantime, the third driving unit (1420) may be disposed with athrough hole (1421) to pass a light of the lens module. Furthermore, inconsideration of miniaturization of the lens driving device (reductionof height to z axis direction which is an optical axis direction), thethird driving unit (1420) may be arranged or mounted on the circuitboard (1410) by being formed with an FP coil which is an FP coil.

The base (1500) may support the second mover (1300). The base (1500) maybe disposed at a lower side with a PCB. The base (1500) may include athrough hole (1510) formed at a position corresponding to that of thelens coupling unit (1211) of the bobbin (1210). In this case, the base(1500) may function as a sensor holder protecting an image sensor. Thebase (1500) may be disposed with an IR (Infrared Ray) filter. Thethrough hole (1510) of the base (1500) may be coupled by the IR filter.

The base (500) may include a foreign object collecting unit to collectforeign objects introduced into the cover member (1100), for example.The foreign object collecting unit may be disposed at an upper surfaceof the base (1500), may include an adhesive material and may collectforeign objects in an inner space formed by the cover member (1100) andthe base (1500). The base (1500) may include a sensor accommodation unit(1530) coupled by the sensor unit (1700). That is, the sensor unit(1700) may be mounted on the sensor accommodation unit (1530). At thistime, the sensor unit (1700) may detect a horizontal movement of thehousing (1310) by detecting the second driving unit (1320) coupled tothe housing (1310). The sensor accommodation unit (1530) may be formedin two pieces, for example. Each of the two sensor accommodation units(1530) may be disposed with the sensor unit (1700). In this case, thesensor unit (1700) may be arranged to detect the x axis and y axisdirection movements of the housing (1310).

The support member (1600) may connect at least two elements of the firstmover (1200), the second mover (1300) and the base (1500). The supportmember (1600) may elastically connect at least two elements of the firstmover (1200), the second mover (1300) and the base (1500) to allow arelative movement of each element. That is, the support member (1600)may be formed with an elastic member. The support member (1600) mayinclude an upper support member (1610), a lower support member (1620)and a lateral support member (1630). Meantime, a separate conductivemember (not shown) apart from the support member (1600) may be disposedto electrically connect any of the two elements from the upper supportmember (1610), the lower support member (1620) and the lateral supportmember (1630).

The upper support member (1610) may include an outside lateral unit(1611), an inner lateral unit (1612) and a connector (1613), forexample. The upper support member (1610) may include an outside lateralunit (1611) coupled to the housing (1310), an inner lateral unit (1612)coupled to the bobbin (1210) and a connector (1613) elasticallyconnecting the outside lateral unit (1611) and the inner lateral unit(1612).

The upper support member (1610) may be connected to an upper surface ofthe first mover (1200) and an upper surface of the second mover (1300).To be more specific, an inner lateral unit (1612) of the upper supportmember (1610) may be coupled to an upper coupling unit (1213) of thebobbin (1210) and an outer lateral unit (1611) of the upper supportmember (1610) may be coupled to an upper coupling unit (1313) of thehousing (1310).

The upper support member (1610) may be disposed by being divided into apair according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure.That is, the upper support member (1610) may include a first uppersupport member (1610 a) and a second upper support member (1610 b). Atthis time, each of the first upper support member (1610 a) and thesecond upper support member (1610 b) can supply an electric power bybeing connected to a pair of lead cables (withdrawal wires) each formedwith a coil. In other words, the pair of upper support members (1610 a,1610 b) may be used for applying an electric power to the first drivingunit (1220). Meantime, the upper support member (1610) may receive anelectric power from the circuit board (1410) through the lateral supportmember (1630), for example. That is, the first driving unit (1220) mayreceive the electric power from the circuit board (1410) through thelateral support member (1630) and the upper support member (1610).

The lower support member (1620) may include an outside lateral unit(1621), an inner lateral unit (1622) and a connector (1623), forexample. The lower support member (1620) may include an outside lateralunit (1621) coupled to the housing (1310), an inner lateral unit (1622)coupled to the bobbin (1210) and a connector (1623) elasticallyconnecting the outside lateral unit (1621) and the inner lateral unit(1622).

The lower support member (1620) may be connected to a lower surface ofthe first mover (1200) and a lower surface of the second mover (1300).To be more specific, the lower support member (1620) may be connected toa lower surface of the bobbin (1210) and to a lower surface of thehousing (1310). An inner lateral unit (1622) of the lower support member(1620) may be coupled to a lower coupling unit of the bobbin (1210) andan outer lateral unit (1621) of the lower support member (1620) may becoupled to a lower coupling unit of the housing (1310).

The lateral support member (1630) may be fixed at one end to the stator(1400) or the base (1500), and may be fixed at the other end to theupper support member (1610) or the second mover (1300). The lateralsupport member (1630) may be coupled at one side to the base (1500) andcoupled at the other side to the housing (1310), for example.Furthermore, in another exemplary embodiment, the lateral support member(1630) may be coupled at one side to the stator (1400), and may becoupled at the other side to the upper support member (1610). Thelateral support member (1630) may elastically support the second mover(1300) relative to the base (1500) to horizontally move or tilt thesecond mover (1300).

The lateral support member (1630) may be a leaf spring, for example. Thelateral support member (1630) may include leaf springs respectivelydisposed at four external surfaces of the housing (1310), for example.Meantime, the lateral support member (1630) may include a plurality ofwires, for example. At this time, the number of plurality of wires maybe six (6) or eight (8).

The lateral support member (1630) may include a configuration for shockabsorption by being coupled to the upper support member (1610), forexample. The configuration for shock absorption may be formed at morethan one of the lateral support member (1630) and the upper supportmember (1610). The configuration for shock absorption may be a separatemember like a damper (not shown). Furthermore, the configuration forshock absorption may be always realized through shape change on any oneof the lateral support member (1630) and the upper support member(1610).

The sensor unit (1700) may be used for at least one of AF (Auto Focus)feedback and/or OIS (Optical Image Stabilization) feedback. That is, thesensor unit (1700) may detect at least one of the position and/ormovement of the first mover (1200) and/or second mover (1300). Thesensor unit (1700) may provide information for OIS feedback by detectinghorizontal movement and tilt of the second mover (1300), for example.The sensor unit (1700) may be disposed at the stator (1400). The sensorunit (1700) may be disposed at an upper surface or a lower surface ofthe circuit board (1410). The sensor unit (1700) may be disposed at asensor accommodation groove (1530) formed at the base (1500) by beingarranged at a lower surface of a circuit board, for example. The sensorunit (1700) may include a Hall sensor according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure. In this case, the sensor unit(1700) may sense the magnetic field of the second movable element (1320)to sense a relative movement of the second mover (1300) relative to thestator (1400). The sensor unit (1700) may be formed more than twoelements to sense all the movements of x axis direction and y axisdirection of the second mover (100).

The lens driving device (1010) according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure may include a base (1500), a housing (1310)disposed at an upper surface of the base (1500) to be movably supportedrelative to the base (1500), a pillar unit (1810) protruded upward fromthe base (1500), a pillar accommodation unit (1820) formed at thehousing (1310) and disposed by the pillar unit (1810) and a damper(1830) arranged between the pillar unit (1810) and the housing (1310).

The pillar unit (1810) may be disposed at a corner of the base (1500),for example. That is, the pillar unit (1810) may be disposed at eachcorner of four (4) corners of the base (1500). Meantime, an inner sideof the pillar unit (1810) may accommodate at least a part of the housing(1310). That is, the pillar unit (1810) may accommodate the housing(1500) at an inside to limit a moving distance of the housing (1310).

The pillar unit (1810) may include an upper surface (1811) and an innerlateral surface (1812), for example. The upper surface (1811) and theinner lateral surface (1812) may be so disposed as to be orthogonal.However, a corner joined by the upper surface (1811) and the innerlateral surface (1812) may disposed with a slope. The upper surface ofthe pillar unit (1810) may be formed opposite to a first surface (1821)of the pillar accommodation unit (1820). Furthermore, the inner lateralsurface (1812) of the pillar unit (1810) may be formed opposite to asecond surface (1822) of the pillar accommodation unit (1820).

The pillar accommodation unit (1820) may include a first surface (1821),a second surface (1822) and a slope (1823), for example. The pillaraccommodation unit (1820) may include the first surface (1821) oppositeto the upper surface (1811) of the pillar unit (1810), and the secondsurface (1822) opposite to the inner lateral surface (1812) of thepillar unit (1810). The damper (1830) may be interposed between thefirst surface (1821) of the pillar accommodation unit (1820) and theupper surface (1811) of the pillar unit (1810), provided however, thedamper (1830) may be explained to be disposed between an externallateral surface (1825) of the housing (1310) and an upper surface of thepillar unit (1810). A discrete space (1945) may be disposed between thesecond surface (1822) of the pillar accommodation unit (1820) and aninner lateral surface (1812) of the pillar unit (1810). The discretespace (1945) may provide a movable space for the housing (1310).Meantime, an area corresponding to an upper side of the discrete space(1945) on the first surface (1821) of the pillar accommodation unit(1820) may be disposed with a fourth groove (1940).

The pillar accommodation unit (1820) may include a slope (1823) slopinginwardly as at least a part of the second surface (1822) descendsdownward, for example. In this case, the pillar unit (1810) strikes thesecond surface (1822) of the pillar accommodation unit (1820) to inhibitthe second driving unit (1320) disposed inside the housing (1310) frombeing detached. To be more specific, when the slope (1823) is omittedfrom the second surface (1822) of the pillar accommodation unit (1820),and when a shock is applied from outside to the lens driving device(1010), the pillar unit (1810) may strike a lower distal end of thesecond surface (1822). At this time, the shock is concentrated on alower side of the second driving unit (1320) adhered to an inner lateralsurface of the housing (1310) to generate a detachment phenomenon inorder to be opened to an inside direction and a lower side direction. Atthis time, the slope (1823) is configured such that the pillar unit(1810) strikes an area joined by the second surface (1822) and the slope(1823) to disperse the shock to an upper side or a central side of thesecond driving unit (1320), whereby the second driving unit (1320) isinhibited from being detached.

The pillar accommodation unit (1820) may be disposed at an upper surfacewith an external lateral surface (1825) of the housing (1310). Meantime,the external lateral surface (1825) of the housing (1310) may bedisposed with a loss prevention unit (1826) protrusively formed to anoutside. At this time, the external lateral surface (1825) of thehousing (1310) and a lower surface (1827) of the loss prevention unit(1826) may form a first groove (1910) disposed with the damper (1830).That is, the damper (1830) may be disposed at a space formed by theupper surface (1811) of the pillar unit (1810), the external lateralsurface (1825) of the housing (1310) and the lower surface (1827) of theloss prevention unit (1826).

The damper (1830) may be disposed between the pillar unit (1810) and thehousing (1310). Furthermore, the damper (1830) may be arranged betweenthe pillar unit (1810) and the pillar accommodation unit (1820), forexample. Meantime, the damper (1830) may include a material having aviscosity, for example, whereby the phenomenon of the support member(1600) generating an oscillation at the resonant frequency duringperformance of AF feedback function or OIS feedback function can beinhibited. The shape of damper (1830) is not limited thereto, and maytake any form that elastically connecting the pillar unit (1810) and thehousing (1310).

The lens driving device (1010) according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure may include at least one of a first groove (1910)disposed with the damper (1830) and a second groove (1920). In the firstexemplary embodiment, the first groove (1910) and the second groove(1920) may be also explained as a loss prevention configuration ofdamper (1830). Furthermore, the lens driving device (1010) according toan exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include at leastone of a third groove (1930) and a fourth groove (1940) in order to keepthe OIS function performance even if the damper (1830) is lost. If thedamper (1830) is lost between the first surface (1821) of the pillarunit (1810) and the second surface (1822) of the pillar accommodationunit (1820), the first surface (1821) of the pillar unit (1810) and thesecond surface (1822) of the pillar accommodation unit (1820) may dropwhile being adhered for a while as the housing (1310) moves to inhibit aproper performance of OIS function. That is, the third groove (1930) andthe fourth groove (1940) function to guide lest the damper (1830) shouldbe lost between the inner lateral surface (1812) of the pillar unit(1810) and the second surface (1822) of the pillar accommodation unit(1820).

The first groove (1910) may be disposed on the first surface (1821) ofthe pillar accommodation unit (1820). However, the first groove (1910)may be explained to be disposed at the external lateral surface (1825)of the housing (1310). The first groove (1910) may be disposed at acorner area joined by the external lateral surface (1825) of the housing(1310) and the first surface (1821), for example. The first groove(1910) may be disposed with the damper (1830). The first groove (1910)may be formed by a lower surface (1827) of the loss prevention unit(1826) protruded from the external lateral surface (1825) of the housing(1310) to the outside, the external lateral surface (1825) of thehousing (1310) and the upper surface (1811) of the pillar unit (1810).

The second groove (1920) may be arranged at the upper surface (1811) ofthe pillar unit (1810). The second groove (1920) may be formed by theupper surface (1811) of the pillar unit (1810) being concaved downward.The second groove (1920) may include a second groove upper surface(1921) parallel with the upper surface (1811) of the pillar unit (1810),a second groove lateral surface (1922) perpendicular to the uppersurface (1811) of the pillar unit (1810), and a second groove slope(1923) slantly connecting the second groove upper surface (1921) and thesecond groove lateral surface (1922), for example.

The third groove (1930) may be formed at a corner area joined by theupper surface (1811) of the pillar unit (1810) and the inner lateralsurface (1812). The third groove (1930) may include a plurality ofrecessed parts (1931, 1932, 1933) formed by the inner lateral surface(1812) of the pillar unit (1810) being concaved, and protruding parts(1934, 1935) disposed between the plurality of recessed parts (1931,1932, 1933), for example. The third groove (1930) may include a firstrecessed part (1931), a second recessed part (1932) disposed adjacent tothe first recessed part (1931), a third recessed part (1933) disposedadjacent to the second recessed part (1932), a first protrude (1934)disposed between the first and second recessed parts (1931, 1932), and asecond protrude (1935) disposed between the second and third recessedparts (1932. 1933), for example.

The plurality of recessed parts (1931, 1932, 1933) of third groove(1930) may provide a space to accommodate the damper (1830). That is,the plurality of recessed parts (1931, 1932, 1933) may inhibit frommoving close to between the inner lateral surface (1812) of the pillarunit (1810) and the second surface (1822) of the pillar accommodationunit (1820), even if the damper (1830) is lost between the upper surface(1811) of the pillar unit (1810) and the first surface (1821) of thepillar accommodation unit (1820).

Meantime, the protruding parts (1934, 1935) may limit a movable space ora movable distance of the housing (1310). Furthermore, the protrudingparts (1934, 1935) may also function to inhibit the detachmentphenomenon of second driving unit (1320) by striking so that the forceof striking the second surface (1822) by the pillar unit (1810) can bedispersed.

The fourth groove (1940) may be disposed at the first surface (1821) ofthe pillar accommodation unit (1820). Meantime, the fourth groove (1940)may be disposed at an upper surface of a discrete space (1945) betweenthe inner lateral surface (1812) of the pillar unit (1810) and thesecond surface (1822) of the pillar accommodation unit (1820). In thiscase, the fourth groove (1940) may function as a reserved accommodationspace of the damper (1830) lest the damper (1830) move to close tobetween the inner lateral surface (1812) of the pillar unit (1810) andthe second surface (1822) of the pillar accommodation unit (1820), evenif the damper (1830) is lost between the upper surface (1811) of thepillar unit (1810) and the first surface (1821) of the pillaraccommodation unit (1820).

Hereinafter, configuration of the lens driving device according to amodified exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will beexplained, and the previous exemplary embodiment is called a firstexemplary embodiment.

The lens driving device (1010) according to a modified exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure may include a cover (1100), a firstmover (1200), a second mover (1300), a stator (1400), a base (1500), asupport member (1600), and a sensor unit (1700). The explanation of thisconfiguration may be inferred from that of the first exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure.

The lens driving device (1010) according to a second exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure may include a first groove (1910).

The first groove (1910) may be disposed on the first surface (1821) ofthe pillar accommodation unit (1820). However, the first groove (1910)may be explained to be disposed at the external lateral surface (1825)of the housing (1310). The first groove (1910) may be disposed at acorner area joined by the external lateral surface (1825) of the housing(1310) and the first surface (1821), for example. The first groove(1910) may be disposed with the damper (1830). The first groove (1910)may be formed by a lower surface (1827) of the loss prevention unit(1826) protruded from the external lateral surface (1825) of the housing(1310) to the outside, the external lateral surface (1825) of thehousing (1310) and the upper surface (1811) of the pillar unit (1810).That is, the first groove (1910) may provide an accommodation space forthe damper (1830).

The lens driving device (1010) according to a third exemplary embodimentof the present disclosure may include a second groove (1920). The secondgroove (1920) may be arranged at the upper surface (1811) of the pillarunit (1810). The second groove (1920) may be formed by the upper surface(1811) of the pillar unit (1810) being concaved downward. The secondgroove (1920) may include a second groove upper surface (1921) parallelwith the upper surface (1811) of the pillar unit (1810), a second groovelateral surface (1922) perpendicular to the upper surface (1811) of thepillar unit (1810), and a second groove slope (1923) slantly connectingthe second groove upper surface (1921) and the second groove lateralsurface (1922), for example. That is, the second groove (1920) mayprovide an accommodation space for the damper (1830).

The lens driving device (1010) according to a fourth exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure may include a third groove (1930).The third groove (1930) may be formed at a corner area joined by theupper surface (1811) of the pillar unit (1810) and the inner lateralsurface (1812). The third groove (1930) may include a plurality ofrecessed parts (1931, 1932, 1933) formed by the inner lateral surface(1812) of the pillar unit (1810) being concaved, and protruding parts(1934, 1935) disposed between the plurality of recessed parts (1931,1932, 1933), for example. The third groove (1930) may include a firstrecessed part (1931), a second recessed part (1932) disposed adjacent tothe first recessed part (1931), a third recessed part (1933) disposedadjacent to the second recessed part (1932), a first protrude (1934)disposed between the first and second recessed parts (1931, 1932), and asecond protrude (1935) disposed between the second and third recessedparts (1932. 1933), for example. That is,

The plurality of recessed parts (1931, 1932, 1933) of third groove(1930) may provide a space to accommodate the damper (1830). That is,the plurality of recessed parts (1931, 1932, 1933) may inhibit frommoving close to between the inner lateral surface (1812) of the pillarunit (1810) and the second surface (1822) of the pillar accommodationunit (1820), even if the damper (1830) is lost between the upper surface(1811) of the pillar unit (1810) and the first surface (1821) of thepillar accommodation unit (1820).

Meantime, the protruding parts (1934, 1935) may limit a movable space ora movable distance of the housing (1310). Furthermore, the protrudingparts (1934, 1935) may also function to inhibit the detachmentphenomenon of second driving unit (1320) by striking so that the forceof striking the second surface (1822) by the pillar unit (1810) can bedispersed. That is, the third groove (1930) may inhibit the AF and OISfunctional characteristics of the lens driving device (1010) from beingchanged, even if the damper (1830) is lost between the base (1500) andthe housing (1310) by being deviated from a proper position.

The lens driving device (1010) according to a fifth exemplary embodimentof the present disclosure may include a fourth groove (1940). The fourthgroove (1940) may be disposed at the first surface (1821) of the pillaraccommodation unit (1820). Meantime, the fourth groove (1940) may bedisposed at an upper surface of a discrete space (1945) between theinner lateral surface (1812) of the pillar unit (1810) and the secondsurface (1822) of the pillar accommodation unit (1820). In this case,the fourth groove (1940) may function as a reserved accommodation spaceof the damper (1830) lest the damper (1830) move to close to between theinner lateral surface (1812) of the pillar unit (1810) and the secondsurface (1822) of the pillar accommodation unit (1820), even if thedamper (1830) is lost between the upper surface (1811) of the pillarunit (1810) and the first surface (1821) of the pillar accommodationunit (1820). That is, the fourth groove (1940) may inhibit the AF andOIS functional characteristics of the lens driving device (1010) frombeing changed, even if the damper (1830) is lost between the base (1500)and the housing (1310) by being deviated from a proper position.

As discussed in the foregoing, the present disclosure may include allthe first, second, third and fourth grooves (1910, 1920, 1930, 1940),and may include any one of the first, second, third and fourth grooves(1910, 1920, 1930, 1940). Furthermore, the lens driving device (1010)according to a sixth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure mayinclude a first groove (1910) and a third groove (1930). The lensdriving device (1010) according to a seventh exemplary embodiment of thepresent disclosure may include a first groove (1910) and a fourth groove(1940). The lens driving device (1010) according to an eighth exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure may include a second groove (1920)and a third groove (1930). The lens driving device (1010) according to aninth exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure may include asecond groove (1920) and a fourth groove (1940). Meantime, even in acase not mentioned in the above explanation, a plurality of combinationsincluding at least one of the first groove (1910) to the fourth groove(1940) may be included as an exemplary embodiment of the presentdisclosure.

Hereinafter, operation and effect of a camera module according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described withreference to the accompanying drawings.

First, auto focusing function of the camera module according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure will be described. Whenan electric power is supplied to the first driving unit (1220), thefirst driving unit (1220) may perform a movement relative to the seconddriving unit (1320) in response to an electromagnetic interactionbetween the first driving unit (1220) and the second driving unit (1320)formed by a magnet. At this time, the bobbin (1210) coupled with thefirst driving unit (1220) may integrally move with the first drivingunit (1220). That is, the bobbin (1210) coupled to an inner side of thelens module vertically moves relative to the housing (1310). Themovement of bobbin (1210) thus discussed becomes a result of the lensmodule being nearer or distanced relative to an image sensor to therebyperform a focus adjustment to a subject.

Meantime, an auto focusing feedback may be applied to realize moreaccurate auto focusing function of the camera module according to anexemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. The auto focus feedbacksensor (not shown) may detect a magnetic field of the second drivingunit (1320) formed with a magnet. Meantime, when the bobbin (1210)implements a relative movement to the housing (1310), an amount ofmagnetic field detected by the auto focus feedback sensor is changed.The auto focusing feedback sensor transmits a detection value to acontroller by detecting movement or position of bobbin (1210) to z axisdirection using the method thus discussed. The controller determineswhether to perform an additional movement to the bobbin (1210) throughthe received detection value. These processes are generated in realtime, whereby the auto focusing function of the camera module accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure can be moreaccurately performed through the auto focusing feedback.

Now, the OIS function of the camera module according to an exemplaryembodiment of the present disclosure will be described.

When an electric power is supplied to the third driving unit (1420), thesecond driving unit (1320) may perform a movement relative to the thirddriving unit (1420) in response to an electromagnetic interactionbetween the third driving unit (1420) and the second driving unit (1320)formed by a magnet. At this time, the housing (1310) coupled with thesecond driving unit (1320) may integrally move with the second drivingunit (1320). That is, the housing (1310) horizontally moves relative tothe base (1500). Meantime, tilt of the housing (1310) relative to thebase (1500) may be induced. The movement of housing (1310) thusdiscussed becomes a result of the lens module being moved to a directionparallel with a direction of the image sensor being laid relative to animage sensor to thereby perform an OIS function.

An OIS feedback may be applied in order to realize a more accurate OISfunction of the camera module according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure.

The pair of sensor units (1700) mounted on the base (1500) and formed bya Hall sensor detects a magnetic field of the second driving unit (1320)formed with a magnet fixed to the housing (1310). Meantime, when thehousing (1310) implements a relative movement to the base (1500), anamount of magnetic field detected by the sensor unit (1700) is changed.The pair of sensor units (1700) transmits a detection value to acontroller by detecting movement or position of housing (1310) tohorizontal direction (x axis and y axis directions) using the methodthus discussed. The controller determines whether to perform anadditional movement to the housing (1310) through the received detectionvalue. These processes are generated in real time, whereby the OISfunction of the camera module according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure can be more accurately performed through the OISfeedback.

In general, in order to implement an OIS function in a camera module, alateral support member (1630) elastically connecting the housing (1310)to the base (1500) is essentially required, and when the OIS function isimplemented, oscillation at the resonance point of the lateral supportmember (1630) cannot be avoided. However, the oscillation of elasticmember can be inhibited through the damper (1830) in the camera moduleaccording to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure. To bemore specific, the damper (1830) coated between the pillar unit (1810)of the base (1500) and the housing (1310) can inhibit the oscillation ofthe support member (1600) formed by an elastic member.

Furthermore, the camera module according to an exemplary embodiment ofthe present disclosure additionally includes a loss prevention structureof damper (1830) and the OIS function obtainment structure during lossof the damper (1830). The damper (1830) in the camera module accordingto an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is disposed at thefirst groove (1910) and the second groove (1920). At this time, theupward loss of the damper (1830) (see A of FIG. 11) can be inhibited bythe loss prevention unit (1826). Furthermore, the inward loss of damper(1810) (see B of FIG. 11) can be also inhibited by the second groove(1920). Furthermore, the third and fourth grooves (1930, 1940) functionas a reserved accommodation space of damper (1830) lest the damper(1830) move nearer to between the inner lateral surface (1812) of thepillar unit (1810) and the second surface (1822) of the pillaraccommodation unit (1820).

As discussed in the foregoing, although all the elements forming theexemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are combined into one oroperated as one element, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.That is, all the elements may be selectively combined or operated ifwithin an object scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, it willbe understood that the terms “includes” and/or “including”, “forming”and/or “formed” when used in this specification, specify the presence ofstated features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/orcomponents, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or moreother features, regions, integers, steps, operations, elements,components, and/or groups thereof. That is, the terms “including”,“includes”, “having”, “has”, “with”, or variants thereof are used in thedetailed description and/or the claims to denote non-exhaustiveinclusion in a manner similar to the term “comprising”.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientificterms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by oneof ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It will befurther understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly useddictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning that isconsistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant art and thepresent disclosure, and will not be interpreted in an idealized oroverly formal sense unless expressly so defined herein.

The present inventive concept may, however, be embodied in manydifferent forms and should not be construed as limited to the exampleembodiments set forth herein. Rather, the described aspect is intendedto embrace all such alterations, modifications, and variations that fallwithin the scope and novel idea of the present disclosure.

In the above, exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure have beendescribed. However, these embodiments are merely examples and do notlimit the present invention, so that persons who skilled in the art ofthe present disclosure may easily transform and modify within the limitof the technical spirit of the present disclosure. For example, each ofthe components shown in detail in the embodiments of the presentinvention may be implemented in transformation. In addition, thedifferences relating these transformations and modifications shall beregarded to be included in the scope of the present disclosure asdefined in the attached claims of the present disclosure and theequivalents thereof.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A lens driving device comprising: a covermember comprising an upper plate and a lateral plate extending from theupper plate; a bobbin disposed in the cover member; a housing disposedbetween the cover member and the bobbin; a magnet disposed in the covermember; a first coil facing the magnet and configured to move the bobbinin an optical axis direction; a stator comprising a base coupled withthe lateral plate of the cover member, a circuit board disposed on thebase, and a second coil disposed on the circuit board and facing themagnet; and a damper disposed between the housing and the base, whereinthe second coil is configured to move the bobbin in a directionperpendicular to the optical axis direction, and wherein the damper iscontacted with the housing and the stator.
 2. The lens driving device ofclaim 1, wherein the damper connects the housing and the base.
 3. Thelens driving device of claim 1, wherein the damper comprises an adhesivematerial having a viscosity.
 4. The lens driving device of claim 1,wherein the damper is spaced apart from the first coil, the magnet, thebobbin, and the cover member.
 5. The lens driving device of claim 1,comprising: an upper elastic member connecting the bobbin and thehousing; and a lateral support member connecting the upper elasticmember and the base, wherein the damper is configured to reduceoscillations generated by the lateral support member.
 6. The lensdriving device of claim 5, wherein the damper is spaced apart from theupper elastic member and the lateral support member.
 7. The lens drivingdevice of claim 1, wherein the housing comprises a first groove formedon a first surface of the housing, and wherein at least a portion of thedamper is disposed on the first groove of the housing.
 8. The lensdriving device of claim 7, wherein the base comprises a second surfacefacing the first surface of the housing, and a second groove formed onthe second surface of the base, and wherein at least a portion of thedamper is disposed on the second groove of the housing.
 9. The lensdriving device of claim 8, wherein the damper is disposed between thefirst groove of the housing and the second groove of the base.
 10. Thelens driving device of claim 7, wherein the first groove of the housingcomprises a plurality of surfaces, and wherein the damper is contactedwith at least two surfaces of the plurality of surfaces of the firstgroove.
 11. The lens driving device of claim 1, wherein the dampercomprises a plurality of dampers spaced apart from each other.
 12. Thelens driving device of claim 1, comprising a sensor disposed on thecircuit board and configured to sense the magnet.
 13. The lens drivingdevice of claim 1, wherein the first coil is disposed on the bobbin,wherein the magnet is disposed on the housing, and wherein the damper isdisposed between the housing and the base in the optical axis direction.14. A camera module, comprising: a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) mountedwith an image sensor; the lens driving device of claim 1; and a lenscoupled with the bobbin of the lens driving device and disposed over theimage sensor.
 15. An optical apparatus, comprising: a supporting member;the camera module of claim 14 disposed on the supporting member; and adisplay unit disposed on the supporting member and configured to outputan image captured by the camera module.
 16. A lens driving devicecomprising: a cover member comprising an upper plate and a lateral plateextending from the upper plate; a bobbin disposed in the cover member; ahousing disposed between the cover member and the bobbin; a magnetdisposed in the cover member; a first coil facing the magnet andconfigured to move the bobbin in an optical axis direction; a basecoupled with the lateral plate of the cover member; a circuit boarddisposed on the base; a second coil disposed on the circuit board andfacing the magnet; and a damper disposed between the housing and thebase, wherein the second coil is configured to move the bobbin in adirection perpendicular to the optical axis direction.
 17. The lensdriving device of claim 16, wherein the damper connects the housing andthe base.
 18. The lens driving device of claim 16, wherein the dampercomprises an adhesive material having a viscosity.
 19. The lens drivingdevice of claim 16, wherein the housing comprises a first groove formedon a first surface of the housing, wherein the base comprises a secondsurface facing the first surface of the housing, and a second grooveformed on the second surface of the base, and wherein the damper isdisposed between the first groove of the housing and the second grooveof the base.